Moments In-Between
by BlackWolf219
Summary: Between the battles, the training, and the occasional prank, the crew of the Ghost are more family than military unit. A few one-shots detailing the moments in-between.
1. Chapter 1

Ezra Bridger practically fell off the ramp he took in the vibrant green of Yavin IV. Of all the worlds he'd taken refuge on since joining the Rebellion, this seemed the most peaceful at times. Something about this world helped to ease his ever-worsening anxiety about their fight against the Empire. Kanan had wondered if the planet possessed some unknown—or perhaps long-forgotten—connection to the Force. Given the amount of nights he'd come across his master meditating near the forests at night, Ezra was starting to share this belief.

"So long as there's no ancient Force-users who might try to kill us with a storm, I'm okay with it," the Padawan had joked, earning an amused snort from Kanan.

The memory brightened Ezra's mood slightly, given him a needed boost to make his way off the ship's ramp and wander through the interior of the temple being converted into Rebel Command. A number of people glanced in his direction, some outright staring, but he ignored him, focusing on one single task at the moment. Avoiding the rest of the crew at all costs.

Now, Ezra loved the Ghost Crew; they were the reason he was here fighting the good fight rather than waiting on Lothal to be saved or worse. The years he'd spent with them were some of the best in his life and he wouldn't trade it for the universe. The only downside came with being the youngest member of the crew. The others tended to treat Ezra like he was made of glass. And that got a little annoying after a while.

He knew they meant well, and some part of him appreciated their love and concern, but it was exhausting having to suffer through their constant worries. He was seventeen years old! Not quite a man, but he wasn't the same dumb kid they'd picked up on Lothal three years back.

It was that mindset which led him to taking the mission to rescue potential allies from a Trandosian game reserve planet. The crew had been divided into different missions at the time, and he'd insisted to Hera that he'd be okay on his own for _one_ mission.

"Fine," she relented. "But you are to call in at _every_ checkpoint and do everything the team leader tells you to do. Understood?"

"Yes mam," he said. "But I'm telling you, Hera, it'll be fine. What's the worst that could happen?"

Kanan had taught him the Force was a living entity all its own, sometimes existing as the only true neutral being in the entire galaxy. Except when it came to Ezra; on that front, the Force delighted in subscribing him to as many horrors imaginable.

The mission had gone smoothly enough and ended with a successful extraction. There was just the little detail of the great beast which had been stalking them the entire mission. The creature's persistence eventually warranted a direct confrontation on Ezra's part. The good news was that he managed to drive it off without killing it, though its limbs would be useless now. The not-so-good-but-considering-the-alternative-still-relatively-good news was the amount of injuries he'd incurred during the fight.

Three cracked ribs, claw marks running along his torso that would undoubtedly scar, and an arm that needed to be set, and a minor concussion that started throbbing as soon as he set foot on Yavin. An altogether successful operation in his mind.

Now all needed to do was avoid his family and get to the medical wing and have his wounds checked out. Easier said than done when said individuals were gathered near a holonet table going over some mission specifics he was too hurt to care about. Lucky for him, though; there backs were turned, and med-bay was just a hopscotch away.

All he had to do was make it just a few more steps and then—

"Karabast!"

 _Sithspit_ , he thought, glancing in the Ghost Crew's direction as they followed Zeb's wide-eyed gaze.

Hera and Sabine mirrored the Lasat's expression, while Kanan's jaw set as he poked at their bond and registered the amount of pain he was in. Years on the streets of Lothal instilled Ezra with a great tolerance for pain, but the discomfort came through just the same. The injury to his arm meant he needed a sling which prevented him from being able to zip-up his shirt, which left his torso, wrapped in bandages quickly staining red with blood, freed for all to see.

Ezra broke the awkward silence with a lop-sided grin, "Hey guys."

Her shock-induced paralysis broken, Hera Syndulla assumed her role at the mother-hen of the Ghost Crew. An instant later, she was at his side, Ryl accent slipping through her voice, "Ezra Bridger! What in blazes happened to you?!"

"Um," he offered lamely, the throbbing getting worse. "I won?"

"How bad is it?" he heard Kanan whisper to Sabine.

"Better than it probably looks," the Mandalorian observed. "But still pretty bad."

"Ezra," his master shook his head. "I thought that mission was supposed to be safe."

"Come on, Kanan, I'm not made of glass," Ezra frowned.

"Good thing, too," Zeb drawled.

Ezra ignored him, "And the mission was a success! We just freed Force knows how many political prisoners who will tell people about the Empire. I think a broken arm is worth it!"

"A _what_?!" Kanan and Hera shouted at the same time.

" _Possibly_ broken," he amended, for all it was worth, the throbbing in his head getting worse. He felt like he was about to vomit but willed himself on. "I'm just saying that a few bruises are worth it if we can save a few lives."

"There's bruises," Sabine narrowed her eyes, frowning in concern, "and then there's having wounds that require stitches. Stitches that look like they're ready to burst." She was at his side, slinging his good arm around her shoulder. He was about to protest when a wave of nausea crashed over him, legs, buckling as everything went black.

Ezra blinked several times, adjusting to the lighting of the medical station's florescence. He heard the faint sounds of medical machines and personnel. It took him a moment to realize that he was resting in someone's lap, a hand running through his short hair. Glancing up, he expected to see Hera and readied himself for her motherly scolding.

"Good morning," Sabine smiled at him, though it didn't reach her eyes.

Ezra considered her for a moment, "Where is—"

"Hera went to get the mission debrief from your team leader. Kanan followed to make sure she didn't strangle the guy. Zeb followed to make sure Kanan didn't strangle the guy. Chopper went along to watch the whole thing and record it."

Ezra nodded, "You didn't go along to make sure Zeb didn't strangle the guy."

"Nah," she kept running her hand along his hair; it felt nice. "Zeb won't try anything. He'll just wait until the guy's not paying attention and slip something in his food."

"And you?" the young Jedi grinned. "Is my team leader going to have a few paint bombs waiting in his room tonight?"

"Give me some credit," she scoffed. "The bombs are in his test fighter. I had Chop schedule him for one tomorrow."

"Sounds about right," Ezra sighed. "You guys aren't letting me live this down, are you?"

"Not in the immediate future," she smiled, this time warmth in her eyes. "Ezra, I know it seems like we treat you as some sort of baby. The truth is that's not entirely inaccurate. We just want you to be safe. I know better than most what the Empire is capable of. And that the thought of that happening to any of you…"

"I know. I get it, I really do."

"Then you'll understand why you have sit through Hera's mothering for the next two weeks while you heal up, right?"

"Yeah," he sighed. They settled into a comfortable silence before he spoke again. "I don't suppose my brave, noble, heroics make me worthy of kiss, do they?"

Sabine gave a soft laugh, "Keep dreaming, Bridger."

Ezra smiled at her, leaning in her lap and closed his eyes.

Yep, he wouldn't trade his family for the universe.


	2. Smile for the Camera

"Ezra, Sabine, do you have a moment?"

The would-be Jedi and the Mandalorian were a little startled when the voice of Kanan Jarrus hailed them over the comms just as they stepped off the ramp of the _Gaunlet._ They'd just finished testing out the new flight system Sabine installed, and the artist was planning on finally painting the fighter a color that wasn't red.

"Uh," Ezra intoned, glancing to the side at Sabine, who looked equally as baffled as he was. "Sure thing, Kanan, we'll be right there."

Normally, meeting with his teacher wouldn't be a problem for Ezra, but there was something in the Kanan's voice, just a slight inflection, that made him suspiciously worried. From what he'd seen on Sabine's face, she'd come to the same conclusion. Anything that could unsettle a Jedi was worrying, to say the least. Something in his master's tone made Ezra feel uneasy, but Sabine took his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

With a smile, he returned the gesture, careful not to let anyone else catch them; they weren't ready for someone to catch them in a relationship just yet. They hadn't even told the rest of the Ghost Crew. Not because they feared disapproval, but rather that Ezra wasn't ready to deal with Zeb's teasing just yet.

"Over here," Kanan called to them after a short walk, raising a hand to signal them over into a small room. It took Ezra a moment to realize this was the base's surveillance room; a narrow slit of room with monitors lining one of its walls. Retrofitted with new tech to mesh with the old systems needed to maintain coverage on the happenings of the base. He knew such rooms existed, and during his probation from missions following the Y-wing extractions, had been unfortunate enough to be tasked with the duty. The presence of AP-5 had only made the experience worse.

Speaking of which, said droid was also in the room, along with Hera and, oddly enough, Captain Rex. Exchanging looks of equal bewilderment, Sabine and Ezra shuffled inside, somehow feeling trapped when the door slid shut behind them. The Padawan took a moment to read the expression of the three adults in the room, wondering just what was going on. Twi'lek had her arms crossed, sure-tell sign that something was wrong. Meanwhile, the clone-captain briefly met Ezra's gaze, only for his eyes to dart to another corner of the room.

"Ezra, Sabine," Hera unfolded her arms, a mother's smile on her face. She gestured to a pair of spindly chairs in front of the line of monitors. "Have a seat."

Sharing another unsure glance, the two younger members in the room pulled the chairs next to each other and sat, Sabine crossing one leg over the other while Ezra drummed his fingers along his knee.

"So… is this a court-martial or something?" Ezra joked, trying to lighten the mood. "Cause whatever this is about, Chopper did it."

"No, no," Rex answered, rocking back and forth on his feet as he avoided eye-contact with Ezra or Sabine. "Nothing like that, at all."  
"Although, it should be," AP-5 droned from the corner. "But against my strenuous suggestions, Captain Syndulla has elected to spare you a rightful punishment."

"Okay…" Sabine narrowed her eyes. "What's he talking about?"

Without a response, Kanan removed his mask and pinched the bridge of his nose—no doubt resisting the urge to snap at the droid. Finally, he moved forward and situated himself next to Hera, and directly in front of the two teens. Try as he might, Ezra couldn't decipher the look on his master's face, though he wondered if maybe the Knight's jaw was set tighter than usual. A quick glance at Sabine revealed she was having no luck either. The Padawan felt his anxiety flare up as he waited.

With a sigh, Kanan began, "I don't have to tell you that there are camera's placed throughout the entirety of the base, do I?" At their confirmation, he continued, "And I'm sure you're also aware that all footage is monitored and recorded."

"Yeah, obviously," Sabine frowned. This meeting was… bizarre to say the least. "After all the work we put it trying to get this place online, it'd better be."

"You speak as though _you_ were the one who'd spent hours arranging the systems into proper order," AP-5 drawled, sounding as annoyed as he could. The Mandalorian rolled her eyes.

"AP-5," Hera sighed. "Enough."

"Yes, General."

"So," Ezra rubbed the back of his neck, "What's all this about, again?"

"As it turns out, there are few cameras in the base we didn't know about," Hera explained. "We've had our people looking through them, so we can find and disable the unneeded surveillance. For example, Rex was sorting through some footage today that he felt needed our attention."

Hera let the words hang for a moment, as if they were expected to drive something home for the two young ones before her. All she saw was utter confusion on both their parts and she grimaced.

"Okay," Ezra said, starting to feel frustrated; he felt Kanan poke at their bond to reassure him. "Are trying to put one or both of us on monitor duty?"

"No," Rex said. "It's just that two people were caught on camera in one of the rooms that shouldn't have been monitored."

"Meaning?" Sabine huffed.

"That you and Bridger were caught on tape exchanging saliva with each other, "AP-5 chimed in to the dismay of Hera, Kanan, and Rex.

It took a few moments for the words to sink in for Ezra, and when they did, a look of pure horror crossed his face. He could feel his cheeks heating up and suddenly wished there was a Force technique that allowed one to teleport themselves out of a conversation. He glanced over at Sabine, who was currently staring at the ground like it was the most interesting thing in the galaxy. Her cheeks were flushed, and he stupidly thought it was the cutest thing ever.

 _This can't be happening_ , he thought, struggling to avoid the gaze of every person in the room. He wanted to jump out of his seat, run out of the room, and take the _Gaunlet_ to the deep reaches of space.

Sabine said something Mando'a, face falling into her hands.

Hera took pity on her kids and stepped forward to try and ease the awkwardness.

"Look, we understand that you probably didn't want us finding out this way," the Twi'lek coughed. "But I want you to know we're not angry and we're only telling you this, so that you'll know to be more careful in the future."

Ezra couldn't think of any words that wouldn't sound warbled and unintelligent in his current state, so he simply nodded.

"Right then," Rex cleared his throat. "I think that's our cue to leave, AP-5."

"Very well, I must scrub the surveillance footage clean, lest the entire base take inspiration from these two."

Ezra sputtered, face darkening a deeper shade of red, while Sabine crossed her arms as if to protect herself. When the clone and droid left the room, Hera sighed, sinking into a chair beside Kanan, who took her hand in comfort. The four of them sat in awkward silence as the two teens slowly regained their composure.

"So," Kanan said. "Congratulations, I suppose."

"Thanks," Sabine's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"We were going to tell you," Ezra said.

"We know," Hera smiled tightly. "But that leaves the matter of Sabine's parents."

At that, Sabine and Ezra went still.

" _We_ aren't going to tell them," Hera assured.

Ezra deflated a little; Hera was an angel.

"You are," Kanan said.

Kanan was pure _evil_.

"Kanan!" Sabine shouted.

"He's right," Hera affirmed. "This isn't something you want to keep from them for too long."

"But the Countess will shoot me," Ezra whined.

"Don't be dramatic, Ezra."

"No," Sabine interrupted. "She'll shoot him. I'm 99 percent certain of it."

"Right," Hera said. "Don't tell them right away, obviously, but you _will_ tell them, understood?"

"Yes mam," the two teens replied.

With that, the Jedi and Twi'lek left them room.

"Well," Ezra said, "that was horrifying."

"You think?" Sabine growled.

"What are you mad at me for?"

"Because this is all your fault!"

"My fault? I'm pretty sure you were kissing me in that video."

Sabine flushed, "Well, you could have stopped me!"

"Why would I stop you?! I like kissing you!"

An awkward silence hung in the air as the two stared at each other.

"So, we just pretend that whole thing never happened," he said.

"Deal," Sabine nodded.


End file.
